Richard Rohmer

D-Day Pilot, Canadian General, Lawyer and Author

Few Canadian lives have connected the cockpit over Normandy, the highest levels of military leadership, the courtroom, and the bestseller list. Richard Heath Rohmer achieved all four. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1924, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force at the age of 18. Asked why he volunteered, Rohmer gave a characteristically direct answer: “There was a war on and I wanted to be a part of it.”

From 1942 to 1945, Rohmer served as an RCAF fighter-reconnaissance pilot. He flew during the D-Day operations and the Battle of Normandy, then continued through the Allied advance into France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. By November 1944, he had completed a remarkable 135-mission operational tour. Flying reconnaissance missions demanded precision, nerve, and the ability to observe and report enemy movements while exposed to anti-aircraft fire and hostile fighters. In July 1944, Rohmer was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful and widely recognized reconnaissance work.

His service to Canada did not end with the Second World War. Rohmer remained active in the Royal Canadian Air Force Auxiliary and Reserve, progressing through increasingly senior appointments. In 1978, he was promoted to major-general and appointed Chief of Reserves of the Canadian Armed Forces, a position he held until his retirement in 1981. More than three decades later, he was appointed honorary adviser to the Chief of the Defence Staff. In 2015, in recognition of what the Department of National Defence described as his unparalleled record of service, he was granted the honorary rank of lieutenant-general.

Rohmer also built an exceptional civilian career. He became a senior Ontario lawyer and Queen’s Counsel, chaired the Royal Commission on Book Publishing, and established himself as a bestselling Canadian author of fiction, military history, political thrillers, and works on national affairs. He published approximately 28 books and used his public standing to support veterans, military remembrance, and Canadian history. He helped lead major D-Day commemorations, advised Veterans Affairs Canada, and co-chaired the committee responsible for creating the Ontario Veterans’ Memorial at Queen’s Park.

His honours reflect both wartime courage and a lifetime of national service. Rohmer was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Commander of the Order of Military Merit, a Knight of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of St John, and a member of the Order of Ontario. His international recognition included appointment as an Officer of Belgium’s Order of Leopold in 1989 and as a Chevalier of France’s Legion of Honour in 2004. His honours also include the Canadian Forces’ Decoration, the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers, his Second World War campaign and service medals, and Canadian commemorative medals representing decades of service under the Crown.

In 2024, during the centennial year of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Governor General Mary Simon presented Rohmer with the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his lifetime of dedication and commitment to Canada. The presentation offered a fitting reflection of his extraordinary journey from a young reconnaissance pilot over occupied Europe to one of Canada’s most respected veterans, military leaders, authors, and guardians of remembrance.

Richard Rohmer’s legacy is not defined by one flight, one command, or one honour. It is the story of more than eight decades devoted to Canada, its Armed Forces, its veterans, and the preservation of its history.